Neighborhood Watch [Case File Investigation, Group 2]

The homely streets of the Sunlake Palms Residential District were as welcoming as they come. People dotted the streets as they went about their way as creatures of habit. However, for some observers, it was obvious that the safe vibe it once held dear had declined for some time in light of the recent news. As residents continued to mill about in their safety-lauded neighborhood, the sense of unease could be felt on bare skin as in the back of their minds held that tinge of concern that with the loss of guaranteed safety that...

If there was one thing that Raph liked about being a noob, it was the fact that the expectations that they had for him were rather low. It was a good thing too, after the fateful encounter with that been like a person who was trying to look like some bumblebee or whatever, Raphael thought that it would be important to play his hand carefully and make sure that he at least could learn all that he could from this "whatever group".  He still wasn't impressed or care much, but there was an old saying that got him by. If you hang around the barbershop long enough, you'll get a haircut. In Raphael's case, pretty soon he would get his chance to not only make a name for himself and amass power, but find out what happened to his brother and possibly bring him home.  He already knew they were simply using him, he was just hoping on getting back a return investment down the line.

"And here we go...."

Raphael decided to use his illusion soul skill, dressed up in rather casual clothing as he went on this job to find out some information for the Helter Skelter group.  There were some options that he had, some of them seemed rather obvious for others. However, Raphael wanted to be surprised, he wondered if he could have obtained anything useful from people you wouldn't expect to know anything. In addition to that, Raphael decided to look like a french model this time around.



As he approached the suave man, he would start off with a compliment.

"You seem to have quite the sense of style, with all the worries that people bear around here, it's not many that care about how they look when they leave out of the house. But it's quite apparent that you're not just...anyone. Am i right?"

stats

Spoiler:

used

Spoiler:

Action: Spoke to Suave Guy In Sunglasses

It wasn't hard for him to notice the French mode-looking individual getting his attention. The man with spectacles regarded Raphael quite carefully. In the kind of business he was in, one would be foolish to not vet people they met with a dash of caution at the minimum. French-looking dude had a flash of gray on his head. Casual, but he had a good looking face that somewhat stood out from the rest of the homely boredom that was the Sunlake Palms district. This wouldn't be the first time the man was questioned by someone. Some cool young chick stopped by once. She seemed to have an interesting story behind her despite all the nonchalance she had. But what was his?

"Me? I'm Marc Balzac, I was scouted to do a few test shots for a startup clothing company in Endymion, the material the clothing is made out of is not bad at all. But I'm pretty much stuck here for the time being and France isn't better off so here I am. The brand is called Reverse Clothes, basically, the concept is getting a new outfit just by turning your clothes inside out. Ever heard of it? I say it's a stock to keep an eye on if you are into that stuff. "

He set up the tone and a little bit of background of what lie he was going to go with today. It had to match with his face and what he was wearing, but the only thing that Raphael could do was hope that this man would go with it. As long as there was a gray area with a little bit of truth, the lie was easier to hide behind. That and the effort he put into it.

"With the amount of downtime I had, I figured a stroll in neighborhood with less noise would have a different aura to it, but everyone is making the same face...except for you. I was...curious..."

"One of those company start-ups, huh? Been quite a bit of those going on in Endymion as of late. Hate to say it, but can't say I've heard of it, buddy. Nor can I say I'm into any of that stuff, sorry." He shrugged at Raphael while raising an eyebrow at his pseudonym, but didn't even bother to make a remark about it. But there was something off here for him. Why would a company start-up come to a boring suburban place like this and not in booming districts of Suzie Q, Backlight, or even Little Tokyo? Something wasn't quite what it seemed and maybe he was "one of those" that needed a little something to take off the edge. A smirk began to curl under the man's eyes. "Oh? Looking for a model, I take it? Hah, sorry. Hate to break it to ya', I ain't about that life. Won't be for a while, at least. For someone who's got spare time, you got good eyes. Ya' right. I ain't quite like the rest. I'm what some people like to call me a "party dispenser" if you catch my meaning... I take it you'll want some of my services? I'm sure you know we'll need to take it somewhere... private.

The man jammed a hand in his pocket and shook inside to eke out the sound of shaking of what sounded like small pebbles inside some kind of container.

It would have been some serious bad luck if he had heard of the company before, the last thing that Raphael needed was a fashionista that was into a lot of this thing and knew some of the makers of the clothing personally. It would be a bit difficult to keep up with a line if he had to continuously fine-tune a disposable identity. This was who he was at the time being, and the idea was to use this role to get what he wanted. He didn't have a lot of time to think it over, it was pretty much a better off deal to seem like someone who used drugs and purchased it to build that rapport, other than deny the person and make things worse on himself.

He could keep up the illusion for a few more minutes, but he couldn't keep it up forever.

"Always in the mood for a good party, my favors seem to be running a little dry. Makes the visit to this quiet side of town much more worthwhile, and I have you to thank for it. So lead the way...."

Raphael had a bit of money on him and he was willing to play along. People that dealt in business like this also had some info on them for sale as well. These things took some baby steps for an appropriate approach.

The next post I make turn 1/3 restarts for the illusion and -10 sp

a demonic masquerade upkeep.

"Well then, you came to the right person. C'mon over, buddy." The man grinned as he gestured Raphael to follow him. Without even skipping a beat, he would begin to lead the disguised PT over to what seemed to be a nearby alley a couple of blocks down. It served well enough as a shield from prying eyes and there was a lack of security cameras in these parts, but perhaps because there wasn't a lot big enough that warranted surveillance. The space was tight and enclosed around them the further they got inside until the only light around was from the sky above and there was much shadows casting over the majority of the area. He turned around to face Raphael while bringing out several orange-colored pill bottles and several plastic baggies of what appeared to be white dust and some fuzzy green material in others. "Right, whatcha buying? Got any in mind? Gonna have to let ya know tho, I ain't got Giddy. Heard the cooking station for that got blown up or some shit."

"It's a shame, I kind of wanted to try out that Giddy stuff that I keep hearing the other models talking about. It's a bit of a rave favorite, it's previously the most popular as well. I'm not too sure about what else you have, but since your customer service is so great for letting me know, think you could lower the price down a little bit for me? It's hard to live my best life if your whares took a hit, consider this a small favor for a good continued partnership. If I know people that want to party and I know you, there's the investment showing up you made today. "

At the very least, he wanted the man to trust him.

Haggle and paying 1000 vc


Expres​sion(Charisma/Deception) - Rank 2 - (16-29 pts) - Unpolished

Gained:

"Ha, rave? C'mon dude, that's what they're saying these days? Nah, sounds like they're just trying to sound cool. But seriously, ya probably don't want a taste of that. Saw someone hooked on it and they went all bug-eye crazy and had weird glowing shit on their veins and faces. Like I know I'm a dealer and shit, but this is some crap you don't wanna take. Believe me, buddy. I've seen some crazy crackheads, but this takes the goddamn cake. Ya gettin' me?" The otherwise impressive-looking man shuddered at the topic. He remembered seeing that crazed look on that one individual's face talking about Giddy every so often on the streets. It was almost surprising to him that the Sunlake Palms local law enforcement didn't try to go after him earlier. But maybe they did? He hadn't heard from that guy for a while or seen him. The man drew out a orange pill bottle of what appeared to be Xanax on the label and handed it to Raphael. "Continued partnership? Pssh, sure. But for that kind of dough, I'll just give ya' a bit of white boys. If you got any dough leftover for a late night habit, you know where to find me. Oh, speakin' of dough, try not to hang out at the forest. Like it's a great place to deal, but cops keep finding bodies from all the screaming there... Fuggin' safe neighborhood my goddamn ass."

strength

Spoiler:

Gained +4 charisma

Expres​sion(Charisma/Deception) - Rank 2 - (20-29 pts) - Unpolished

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Just hearing about the drug made it seem like it was something that was bad for the health of people who took it. Raphael himself wasn't in Endymion for too long, but the introduction to the supernatural made him able to believe in almost anything. In that case, he started to believe that giddy was a supernatural drug that had some adverse effects, and that maybe someone or something decided to get involved. With whoever or whatever that was, the factory exploded, but those mystery attendees, as well as the maker of the drug, still remained a mystery.

Still, Raphael managed to get some good info out of the drug dealer, he also managed to figure out that the forest was having some strange occurrences of people dying and things of that nature.

"Thanks for the heads up, I was looking for a good time, not to run into a serial killer. "

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Spoiler:

Demonic masquerade 2/3

"Hell, ya'd think that in a "safe" place like this district, the district head would give a damn about it. Especially when there's some talk in the grapevine of security cameras or something there in some deep part of the Forest. Dunno what the hell they're for if they're not for catching people, but I guess we can always chalk it up to shitty bureaucracy. I guess. Well, it was nice meeting ya'. If you want more, you know where to find me. Bring a bit more cash next time." The dealer shrugged at Raphael. He patted him on the shoulder and began to make his way out of the alleyway and leaving the Psyche-Terrorist to his own devices...



When Raphael leaves the alley, he'll notice that there are some people still left hanging about the neighborhood. But not for long...

With Raphael opting out to talk to the rest of the district's inhabitants, the streets would soon be clear of individuals to talk to...